A celebrated international bestseller that exposes the ticking time-bomb underneath our new technological order. The resources race is on. Powering our digital lives and green technologies are some of the Earth's most precious metals - but they are running out. And what will happen when they do? The green-tech revolution will reduce our reliance on nuclear power, coal, and oil, but by breaking free of fossil fuels, we are setting ourselves up for a new dependence - on rare metals like cobalt, gold, and palladium. These are essential to electric vehicles, wind turbines, and solar panels, as well as our smartphones, computers, tablets, and other technologies. But we know very little about how rare metals are mined and traded, or their environmental, economic, and geopolitical costs - until now.

Micro-hydro is a useful way of providing power to houses, workshops or villages that need an independent supply. For many remote areas beyond the reach of a national grid, micro-hydro is the only economic option. Where flow is limited, but high heads are available, the Pelton wheel is one of the most useful turbines. The Micro-hydro Pelton Turbine Manual is written to enable the reader to design and manufacture Pelton turbines with capacities from a few hundred Watts to around 100kw, though much of the information is relevant for larger units too. Aimed at readers with a general engineering workshop background, the emphasis is on simple technology, so that the turbines can be made in small workshops with basic engineering facilities. More advanced processes are discussed for those with access to better manufacturing facilities. As well as detailing all the important aspects of design, the book covers basic theory, turbine selection, manufacture, installation, testing and problem-solving. The manual is well illustrated and contains a comprehensive appendices, containing manufacturing reference information and the derivation of equations used. Jeremy Thake, a mechanical design engineer, has worked for the appropriate technology organization, DCS, in Nepal for six years in micro-hydro systems. He currently works for the renewable energy consultancy, IT Power.

This volume contains a selection of papers presented at the 7th Nirma University International Conference on Engineering 'NUiCONE 2019'. This conference followed the successful organization of four national conferences and six international conferences in previous years. The main theme of the conference was "Technologies for Sustainable Development", which is in line with the "SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL" established by the United Nations. The conference was organized with many inter-disciplinary technical themes encompassing a broad range of disciplines and enabling researchers, academicians and practitioners to choose between ideas and themes. Besides, NUiCONE-2019 has also presented an exciting new set of events to engage practicing engineers, technologists and technopreneurs from industry through special knowledge sharing sessions involving applied technical papers based on case-study applications, white-papers, panel discussions, innovations and technology products. This proceedings will definitely provide a platform to proliferate new findings among researchers. Advances in Transportation Engineering Emerging Trends in Water Resources and Environmental Engineering Construction Technology and Management Concrete and Structural Engineering Futuristic Power System Control of Power Electronics Converters, Drives and E-mobility Advanced Electrical Machines and Smart Apparatus Chemical Process Development and Design Technologies and Green Environment Sustainable Manufacturing Processes Design and Analysis of Machine and Mechanism Energy Conservation and Management Advances in Networking Technologies Machine Intelligence / Computational Intelligence Autonomic Computing Control and Automation Electronic Communications Electronics Circuits and System Design Signal Processing

This volume contains a selection of papers presented at the 7th Nirma University International Conference on Engineering 'NUiCONE 2019'. This conference followed the successful organization of four national conferences and six international conferences in previous years. The main theme of the conference was "Technologies for Sustainable Development", which is in line with the "SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL" established by the United Nations. The conference was organized with many inter-disciplinary technical themes encompassing a broad range of disciplines and enabling researchers, academicians and practitioners to choose between ideas and themes. Besides, NUiCONE-2019 has also presented an exciting new set of events to engage practicing engineers, technologists and technopreneurs from industry through special knowledge sharing sessions involving applied technical papers based on case-study applications, white-papers, panel discussions, innovations and technology products. This proceedings will definitely provide a platform to proliferate new findings among researchers. Advances in Transportation Engineering Emerging Trends in Water Resources and Environmental Engineering Construction Technology and Management Concrete and Structural Engineering Futuristic Power System Control of Power Electronics Converters, Drives and E-mobility Advanced Electrical Machines and Smart Apparatus Chemical Process Development and Design Technologies and Green Environment Sustainable Manufacturing Processes Design and Analysis of Machine and Mechanism Energy Conservation and Management Advances in Networking Technologies Machine Intelligence / Computational Intelligence Autonomic Computing Control and Automation Electronic Communications Electronics Circuits and System Design Signal Processing

In a world of growing complexity and dwindling resources, the relationship between technology and sustainability is a pressing issue of concern at the highest levels. This book improves our understanding by examining the ways that people, technology and governance shape each other with implications for sustainability. It is the first book to link technology studies and governance research to this problem. Contributions from leading environmental social scientists are included, with each chapter reporting on new research and tackling complex, but vital issues. Drawing on examples such as wave and tidal power, wind power, micro-generation, community waste recycling and eco-housing, the book provides powerful new insights into the governance of technology for sustainability. A detailed introduction and conclusion discuss existing research directions and identify the contribution that the book makes in advancing our understanding of the people-technology-governance nexus and its implications for sustainability. This is essential reading for all those in academia, government and industry working at the critical interface between how we develop, deploy and govern technology in the pursuit of sustainability.

Millions of slum residents across the world suffer the hazards and misery of frequent flooding of their streets and homes, which may result in the savings of a lifetime being washed away in a few hours, damaged property, loss of work and time, and higher risks of diarrhea, worm infection, and other health problems. This manual is written to help engineers, aid, and agency workers more clearly to understand drainage problems in the developing world, so that they can work towards finding practical solutions. It focuses on three questions of particular relevance to low-income urban areas in developing countries: What is drainage performance? How can we evaluate a drainage system to improve its performance? What are the effects of solids on the performance of drains? This manual is the outcome of two-and-a-half years of fieldwork in the city of Indore, in Madhya Pradesh, India and can be used as a practical aid by municipal engineers, consulting engineers, and engineering instructors and students, as well as development and aid workers involved in drainage systems.

Modern Irrigation Technologies reviews the experience of small holders with irrigation technologies under a range of diverse conditions in many different countries. Some people argue that modern irrigation technologies are the key to increased food production. However, projects introducing modern irrigation technologies in the developing world have often failed because the irrigation hardware, which has been developed for high-technology commercial agriculture, cannot be easily adapted for the use of the smallholder. The author identifies the pre-conditions relating to water availability, institutional support and economic opportunity that must be satisfied before small holders in developing countries can adopt irrigation methods and benefit from them. The circumstances in which modern technologies have been introduced are identified, and the relative success or otherwise of the initiatives are summarized. The book also contains a practical review of the range of irrigation hardware that is available and indicates the types of equipment that are more likely to meet the requirements of the smallholder sector. Modern Irrigation Technologies will be an invaluable guide to project workers, planners and small holders involved in planning and designing irrigation projects.

Every ten seconds a child dies from diarrhoea. This makes 3 million children every year, or over 8000 children per day. These figures are only counting the deaths. How many children are disabled for life by parasitic infections and frequent diarrhoea in their early years? How many women live with permanent anaemia because of hookworm infections?;This book provides a practical solution to the lack of basic facilities and sanitation that so many people face in the world today, by giving advice and information on how to set up and implement a latrine building programme, and providing guidelines on how to build latrines that are easily maintained, affordable and appropriate to the needs of the communities who will be using them.;The book gives a basic introduction to appropriate latrine building, and covers the design and construction of different types of latrines, discussing some of the common problems that can occur in the building stage. It covers all aspects of the implementation of a latrine building programme, including the promoting of hygiene and the education aspects of such a programme, and how to go about planning, monitoring and evaluating such a programme. The latrine designs described here can be built using local materials, and involve peoples traditional skills and innovations.

In recent years, credit has become the predominant form of support to small producers, while other forms of business development services have diminished. Looking Beyond Credit assesses the need for targeted business development services other than finance, their growing importance among small producers and how they can work in tandem with credit schemes.The book shows that small producers generally face a range of constraintsother than finance such as access to improved technology, raw materials, skills training and information on market opportunities. Therefore, schemes that address these constraints are achieving a larger impact than those which focus on credit alone. The case studies examined here record significant achievements in terms of employment generation, increased incomes and product innovation and diversification, thus supporting the view that targeted business development services can play a bigger role and should be incorporated with credit schemes to provide total support to small producers.Looking Beyond Credit will be essential reading for anyone involved in the supply or demand of business development services.

Vegetable oil is the richest source of food energy, providing twice as much energy as the same quantity of carbohydrate or protein. In areas where peanuts (groundnuts) or other soft oil-seeds are cultivated, manual oil extraction using a screw press can be a viable enterprise for small businesses.;The processes described in "The Manual Screw Press for Small-Scale Oil Extraction" are suitable for operation on a small-scale, which means they can be used by rural people to control the processing and marketing of cooking oil. This manual also explores how a small-scale oil processing production unit or enterprise can make the most of links with other businesses involved in utilizing the oilcake - such as making sweets or animal feeds, in order to create further business opportunities.;This manual explains the essential steps to be undertaken before pressing the oil-seeds for maximum yields; such as crushing, adding water and heating, and how many hectares of groundnut will be needed to supply the oil press.;The manual also details the planning necessary when considering setting up a small-scale oil processing enterprise. Advice is given on exploring the local market in order to establish what the demand for a particular product will be, how to draw up a business plan and obtain the necessary finance, how to organize production and market the oil and by-products.

This text is an exploration of the power dimensions of participatory development and research, and an attempt to look at the shifts in power within communities and institutions which are needed for participatory ideas to be effective. The aim of the book is to connect theory and practice. It looks at the theoretical basis to participatory development work, drawing on related debates in anthropology, development studies and feminism. Case studies of participatory research techniques are drawn from sites as far apart as development theatre in Mali and video-making with homeless people in the UK. Further chapters examine the relative power of the researcher or development agent vis-a-vis the community.;After reviewing participatory research and development within communities, the book extends the debate by questioning the shifts in power needed if institutions are to operate in a participatory manner.;This text is intended to be of use to academics, students, and all involved with courses in development studies, anthropology and sociology. In addition it should prove useful to agencies and practitioners involved in participatory-style development or research initiatives world-wide.

Women's indigenous technical knowledge and innovative solutions to problems are in evidence across the whole range of food cycle activities. Unlike other books in this series which focus on specific food-related technical areas, this book highlights the broad scope of expertise that exists in rural areas.;Section 1 gives a brief account of women's indigenous technical knowledge and its extent. Section 2 explores women's role in the innovation process and how technical assistance has conventionally ignored this. The points made in these first two sections are illustrated and supported by the case studies in Section 3, and the lessons which can be learned from the case studies are presented in Section 4. Section 5 draws on these lessons to offer guidelines for development practitioners working with women.

The preservation of food and crops by drying can help to increase food security or it can provide a source of additional income for producers and women's groups. This book is an introduction to the principles of drying and an indication of the range of technologies available, along with case studies examining the use of improved drier designs.

This volume is part of a series which offers practical advice for trainees studying rural building courses. The main aim of the course is to provide much-needed trade information in simple language, with numerous, clear illustrations. It draws on the expertise of fieldworkers who have devised simple building methods appropriate to a rural community and is the product of years of experimentation with different methods.

The treadle irrigation pump is able to lift up to 7000 litres of water per hour using the power of the human body, and can be locally made at low cost in small-scale metalworking shops. Its acceptance in Bangladesh, where it was first developed in 1984, is extraordinary, with over 500,000 pumps estimated now to be in use.;The current design offered in this manual has evolved from the Bangladesh original into a fully portable pump with both lift and pressure capacity and is especially appropriate to situations where soils are permeable, and water cannot easily be distributed through channels. The manual is intended to be read primarily by organizations engaged in economic development activities which have a particular expertise in technology transfer; it is not intended just as a step-by-step guide for the manufacturer (although it can be used in this way).

This volume is part of a series which offers practical advice for trainees studying rural building courses. The main aim of the course is to provide much-needed trade information in simple language, with numerous, clear illustrations. It draws on the expertise of fieldworkers who have devised simple building methods appropriate to a rural community and is the product of years of experimentation with different methods.

This volume is part of a series which offers practical advice for trainees studying rural building courses. The main aim of the course is to provide trade information in simple language, with numerous, clear illustrations. It draws on the expertise of fieldworkers who have devised simple building methods appropriate to a rural community and is the product of years of experimentation with different methods.

This technical handbook offers a clear and detailed introduction to the field of sericulture (the cultivation of silkworms) and silk production for small, rural communities in tropical and temperate climates. Each chapter deals with a specific stage in the production process, from the cultivation of mulberry bushes to the grading of silk, including a chapter on sources of further information. With its clear illustrations and charts, it is the ideal reference book for rural communities considering starting silk production.;The handbook is the latest addition to the "Small-scale Textiles", series which aims to present basic information about all aspects of small-scale textile manufacture from raw materials to finished products, and will be of use to fieldworkers, development agencies, and those starting small-scale manufacture or attempting to improve or extend manufacture.

This publication reviews the wide range of beancurd varieties available, the principles used in their manufacture by traditional methods and those methods that have potential for large-scale manufacture.

"Medical and Hygiene Textile Production" considers the production of medical and hygiene textiles on a small scale in developing countries. Medical textiles include gauze, bandages and cotton wool, and hygiene textiles consist of sanitary towels and nappies.;Although the technologies for these products are often simple, in the past there has been very little comprehensive information available about production methods. This handbook offers basic information on all levels of manufacture and small scale production of these items, from household level production to small centralized units, from raw material processing to the packaging and labelling of the finished products.;All the processes described can be undertaken by hand or with the use of small mechanically driven equipment.

The procurement or manufacture of wheel and axle assemblies is a major problem for rural workshops involved in production of non-motorized vehicles. The scarcity of these components restricts the supply of low-cost vehicles to rural communities.

This book examines the pros and cons of the local production of carpentry hand-tools as opposed to their importation. In seeking the best strategy to adopt it also outlines the previous methods adopted by VSO and Intermediate Technology who have much experience in this area. Published in the VSO ECOE Programme series.

The African Sahel has one of the poorest regional economies in the world. Within it pastoralists are particularly vulnerable because development policy has often failed to address local concerns. By contrast, the Turkana rainwater harvesting project described in this book stands out in its simplicity - a basic water conservation technology based on priorities identified by local people, adapted by them, and in which local pastoralists and gardeners take full responsibility for the control and administration of their work. The authors illustrate the project's progress through a series of descriptive scenes which discuss the successes and learning experiences. The whole process, covering the years 1984 to 1990, was one of continuous dialogue between western technological principles and experience, and local observation and knowledge - resulting in a successful learning process promising to empower local people to better cope with economic pressures and the harsh environment. Written and designed for development workers, farmers and agricultural fieldworkers, researchers and extensionists, as well as project planners and advisors, this companion to Rainwater Harvesting has lessons in participatory techniques for all those engaged in projects involving development agencies and local people.

Intended for professionals, administrators or engineers, project managers or policymakers and trainers or workers in the field of health, water and sanitation, this book brings together a series of short and illustrated introductions to the main technologies and processes in the field of village and community level water and sanitation. Developed and tested over the years, the 32 "appropriate technologies" described here range from household water storage to public standposts, from making soap to eye and skin diseases.;Each short brief concludes with an indication of where to go for more information, and Professor John Pickford sets the scene for the programme and project workers who will find this "ideas tank" invaluable.;Originally published individually in "Waterlines", a magazine devoted to low-cost water and sanitation, this consolidated publication brings together a body of practical information and guidance which appropriately marks the end of the "Water Decade" and the start of the "Health for All by 2000" campaign.

The jiko, a charcoal-burning stove consisting of a ceramic liner fitted inside a metal case, burns 25 to 40 per cent less charcoal than the traditional stoves on which its design was based. This book provides guidance on its production and promotion.